FIFA is one of the biggest games of the year, and FIFA 20 will likely be no different. Between Kick Off, Career Mode, and Pro Clubs, the series is rarely lacking in content, but the most played mode every year is FIFA Ultimate Team, or FUT for short. EA has finally lifted the lid on all the new FUT features, so read on below for a look at FUT Friendlies, FUT Seasons, new customization options, and the new FUT Icons we know about.

FUT Seasons

Contrary to what you might expect, this has nothing to do with the existing Seasons mode; instead, Seasons in FUT will work similarly to the periods of real-world time that Fortnite, PUBG, and more have popularized in recent years. In FIFA, these time periods are between six and eight weeks long and will include rewards you can earn over the course of a Season. There will also be Season objectives: these are similar to the current daily and weekly objectives but longer-term and with bigger rewards--one example given to us was a loan Ones To Watch Eden Hazard. Completing matches and objectives will net you XP, which will count toward Season rewards.

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Club Customization Options And Milestones

FUT 20 will feature a bigger suite of club customization options, with EA making a big change by allowing clubs to display fictional badges, balls, and tifos, among other cosmetic items. For example, you'll no longer be forced to display a tifo of Neymar or Thomas Mueller--instead, you can erect one of a dabbing unicorn… because of course. You could also use a 16-bit styled ball in your home stadium, rather than just real-world Adidas and Nike ones.

The new customization options are not currently planned to be available in regular packs. Rather, they'll be rewards for a new type of challenge called Milestones. These are not tied to XP or Seasons but will be attainable by achieving long-term objectives such as scoring 100 headers. More customization options will be added throughout the year, EA says, but they will be untradeable.

FUT Friendlies

FUT Friendlies are a new way of playing casually within FUT--a place to go, EA says, when you don't fancy the pressure of the Weekend League or Squad Battles. There are no great rewards for playing FUT friendlies, but you do still earn coins, and, crucially, player injuries, contracts, fitness, and your playing record remain unaffected. That means you can use that loan OTW Hazard to your heart's content.

A big part of the new FUT Friendlies mode is House Rules, which have been lifted wholesale from FIFA 19's Kick Off update into FIFA 20's Ultimate Team portion. As well as those modes added last year--Headers and Volleys, Survival, and so on--new options are being introduced in FUT 20. Those are:

Max Chem: Team chemistry doesn't matter here--regardless of your squad selection, every player will be granted maximum chemistry.

Swaps: A standard match of FIFA except a random trio of your first XI players get swapped for three of your opponent's.

King of the Hill: If you can keep the ball under control inside the virtual box painted somewhere on the pitch, you'll build up a goal meter. Go on to score in the same attack and you'll have that number added to the scoreline. For example, hold the ball in the box for long enough to build it up to 3 and you'll add three goals to your score if you get the ball in the back of the net soon after.

Mystery Ball: Every time the ball comes back into play, a new match condition will be set. These could range from 3x goals for the next successful strike to maximum speed boost or maximum dribbling boost for the ball holder.

The latter two House Rules options are also coming to Kick Off outside of FUT, while the former two will be available within Ultimate Team only. FUT Friendlies as a whole can be played against AI, a local opponent, or online against friends.

FUT Icons

Finally, EA revealed a selection of its new Icon cards that will come to Ultimate Team this year. The players revealed so far are English striker Ian Wright, Italian midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo, Brazilian forward Carlos Alberto, Ivorian frontman Didier Drogba, and Dutch star Ronald Koeman.